How often to you drive home from work barely listening to the radio, easily ignoring the numerous advertisements aired? If you’re like the majority, this happens all too often. Despite the loud over-bearing radio personality who’s trying to convince you to buy double glazing, traditional marketing methods are becoming less and less effective at catching our attention and getting us to part with our cash. Step aside radio and printed ads: experiential marketing has arrived.
Experiential marketing is all about immersing a customer in a particular brand or product. It is not passive marketing: rather, it works to establish an emotional connection between the potential customer and the product or service being promoted. There are numerous ways this can be done, from simple product sampling in supermarkets to more widespread guerrilla marketing events like product launches.
There are many examples of successful experiential marketing, including the Aftershock Moments campaign. Coordinated by marketing specialists Kommando, the campaign saw ‘Aftershock Arenas’ popping up at various festivals throughout the UK. Festival revellers were treated to live DJ sets and a vibrant atmosphere as they partied and enjoyed the classic alcoholic beverage.
Not only was this a great way to communicate with the brand’s target demographic, it established an emotional connection too. When attendees look back on their festival memories, they will think fondly of the brand, further cementing the brand’s visibility.
Campaigns like this are undeniably useful for both brands and products, but how do we integrate digital marketing too? With the increased popularity of sites like Facebook and Twitter, social media is an ideal platform for promoting such experiential marketing campaigns. Likes, shares, hashtags and retweets are all excellent ways to increase the visibility of both on- and offline event.
Using social media helps promoters generate interest about an event. It’s a great way to get in touch with relevant writers and bloggers who may wish to cover the event on their own websites, as well as getting people involved.
To make effective use of sites like Twitter and Facebook, you should engage in conversation with your followers. Overly promotional tweets that offer little user interaction are more likely to be ignored by Twitter users: asking questions and incorporating hashtags are perfect for generating a buzz around the event. For example, the Aftershock Moments campaign could have been promoted by asking users who will be visiting the tent at specific festivals.
While many perceive experiential and digital marketing to be two very different things, they are actually closely linked. The success of experiential marketing is enhanced by an engagement with digital marketing, while the former can also improve brand presence online.
By Mark Evans, MD of Kommando.
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